Patrick francis milligan



` @Stetten 'tutrs atwt @ifi-rt.'

PATRICK FRANCIS liiIIiIiIGAN, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

Letters Patent lV'o. 63,649, dated April 9, 1867.

CHECK 0N GAR GONDUGTORS.

@te ftrhalc tuant tu in Hirst intimiteiten ima mating put nt its Sami.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, PATRICK FRANCIS MILLIGAN, of Washington, in the county of Washington, and District of Columbia., have invented a new and improved Mode of Preventing the Conductors on City Passenger and other Railroad Cars from Defrauding the Companies; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lett-ers of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing each conductor with a certain number of checks foi; cach.'

Vday, on which will be printed the name of the company, the day of the week, the day of the month, and the year, as also the amount of fare charged, one of which he will be bound to give to cach passenger when he collects the fare, piercing it at the same time, which the passenger, cn leaving, will drop into a check-box prepared to receive it at each end of the car, the keys to which will be held by some responsible oiliec-r of the company. The'amount of money and balance of checks handed in by cach conductor at thc end of each days work must balance with the number of checks which he received in the morning, cach check being equal to six cents.

'I'o enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation. t i

At each end of the car, on the right-band side going out, I construct a rectangular box, B, ten inches by twelve, and six inches deep, placed under the seat, and open in front, being fastened to the floor or end of the car. I construct a drawer, D, which slides into this box, and is locked by a drawer-lock or padlock, or both. In the top of this boa', and over the drawer, I make an aperture of say one inch, and I insert tightly therein atubc, 6, of brass, iron, or tin, and having a branch tube, a, leading from it to the platform of the car, both having a 'funnel mouth, as seen at iig. I in the accompanying drawings, which is an inside view through thc car, showing the position of the check-box under the seat. These tubes are so placed that passengers can easily drop their checks. I have checks of a proper size printed on strong paper, in sheets of any number, bearing the name of the company, the day ofthe week, the day of the month, and the year, as also the amount of the fare charged, (as, Washington and Georgetown Railroad Company, Wednesday, MarchG, 1867, fare six cents,) as seen at iig. 2, c being the check. The conductor will be bound to give one of these checks to each passenger when he collects the fare, piercing it at theA same time, which will protect the passenger from being called on twice forvfare, and which he will drop into the check-box on leaving the car. I will place in conspicuous places cards, notifying the passengers of the duty of the conductors, and their own, as also thenumber of each car, so as to enable passengers to report any negligence on the part of conductors. In case of the application of this invention to railroad trains' drawn by locomotives, the checks should h e marked for the amount of way-stations, and the branch tube a need not be iujuse, and the box can be arranged in any manner as best suits the convenience of the company. In and under all circumstances the same principle, however, is carried out. Now, as to cityl passenger railroad cars, say that a conductor receives in the morning five hundred checks, and that he pays out four hundred and fty to passengers, then he will have iifty checks and twenty-seven dollars to hund in at night, suppose the fare to be at sixcents. But suppose that hc fails to give twenty passengers their checks, then he would have twenty persons cognizant of his theft, for one dollar and twenty cents, whose duty it was te demand their checks, any one of whomniight inform on him. A small reward, say five dollars, would lead to the detection'of all such conduct, and the prompt discharge of such a conductor would prevent a repetition ofit. It will be seen that 'if a passenger steps off the car without dropping his or her check into the cheek-box,

i that it does not enable the conductor to hold that amount for his own use unless he can tell the exact number of persons so doing, and furnishing forged checks to make up the number, which would be almost impossible, as the company could baflle all attempts at procuring forg'ed checks, by private marks, and allowing none but the presidents signature in ordering checks from the printers. Forged checks could alsobe used by abstracting the checks from the check-box by means of false keys, and adding forged checks for the number. But in procuring such keys the diiiculty would be great, and, besides, the company could have the cars visited as often as necessary in the course of the day, and the checks taken out and placed to the credit of the car until night; besides, there are passengers in the ears to notice and report such proceedings. Further, by adding to the amount of money received theamount of checks on hand` the president could sce that the amount was equal to the number of cheeks furnished b him in im given time and theicb )revcnt fraud b :mv other oiicer of the 3 i. a .Y .Y v

com an The chock-boxes um" be of cost iion :md van' in dimensions to suit eireumatances. The drawers can ne flrewn. out and the checks removed moie easily than if it were :L box without a. :im-wer, which might :wswm under some circumstances on trains drawn by ioeometives-l I do not ciaim the use of cheeks when .uSeii for :my ohei purpose whatever, :is a. part of my invention, bu what 1 de claim, :md desire to secure by Letters Patent, isi- "lhe employment, in a car 0i` other similar vehicic, oi' the Cheeks or tichets'C, chock-box B, drawer D, omi ubes a 5, when constructed :md :wronged substantially as :imi 'oi' thc purpose Specified.

PATRICK FRANCIS MILLIGAN.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. NECKER, N. K. SMNGSTACK. 

